Dolly Parton (Rewind): How the Country Icon Nearly Became the Subject of Her Own Murder Ballad

About this episode

This episode explores how Dolly Parton narrowly avoided becoming a tragic figure in a murder ballad and instead achieved great success in music.

They tried to take her songs. They tried to take her fame. They even threatened to take her life – not once, but multiple times. Listen to find out how Dolly Parton avoided becoming just another tragic heroine in a murder ballad – and instead became one of the most commercial and critically acclaimed artists in music history. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. This episode was originally published on July 21, 2026. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at  disgracelandpod.com/membership . Visit www.disgracelandpod.com/merch to see the latest Disgraceland merch! Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter)  Facebook Fan Group See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Jake

Topics covered

• Dolly Parton
• murder ballad
• music history
• suicide prevention
• country music

Keywords

• Dolly Parton
• murder ballad
• country music
• suicide prevention
• music history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Exactly Right, iHeartPodcasts

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